Focus on France 23 December 2008

A shake-up in the car registration system

The saturation of the current car registration system in France has meant a new numbering system is necessary, and the first change to registration plates since 1950 has created much controversy. Why do the French want to protect the traditional format of their number plates and how is this new system going to work?

Focus on France: A shake-up in the car registration system

France's generous pension system is under strain, as fewer workers are pressed to support more and more retired people. The government and the opposition as well as unions know something needs to be done, but no one can can agree on the way forward.

French Prime Minister François Fillon has made a surprise trip to Afghanistan. He says France will stay until the country is stable, and says he is impressed by President Karzai's commitment at the London conference on Afghanistan last week.

The government is considering limits on police powers after a group of adolescents were handcuffed and locked up in a Parisian police station for several hours without charge because of a fight in a school.

Campaigning has begun for France's regional elections due next month. With left-leaning parties ahead in the opinion polls, the vote may pass a tough judgement on President Nicolas Sarkozy's record in office.

France says it will support a trade ban on the much-prized bluefin tuna but it'll take 18 months to take effect, allowing French fishermen to carry out over-exploiting the Mediterranean for at least two more seasons. Green groups say the decision is absurd.

What caused a Concorde to crash in 2000, killing 113 people? An investigation concluded that a metal strip which fell off a Continental Airlines, was partly to blame. But at a trial which began in Paris on Tuesday, lawyers for Continental argued otherwise.